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00:00:38Some news in the race
00:00:38for governor.
00:00:40Nearly a year
00:00:41off, and lawmakers
00:00:41look to a new revenue source
00:00:44with another expansion
00:00:44of gambling.
00:00:46That's this
00:00:46weekend. The state of Ohio.
00:01:06Welcome to the state of Ohio.
00:01:08I'm Karen Kasler.
00:01:10The race for governor
00:01:11next year is starting
00:01:11to come into focus
00:01:13with a big endorsement
00:01:13for a Republican candidate
00:01:15and a well-known Democrat
00:01:15saying he's considering a run.
00:01:19Last week,
00:01:19the Ohio Republican Party's
00:01:21state central committee
00:01:21took a big and early step
00:01:23in endorsing tech billionaire
00:01:23and former
00:01:25presidential candidate
00:01:25the Vague Ramaswamy
00:01:28over Attorney General
00:01:29Dave Yost in the 2026
00:01:29governor's race.
00:01:32The closed door secret
00:01:32ballot vote at the meeting,
00:01:34which has been held
00:01:34a few months
00:01:36before the primary
00:01:36and not nearly a year
00:01:38before in previous years,
00:01:40further solidifies
00:01:40Romney's Swami's
00:01:42power in the contested
00:01:42but increasingly one man race.
00:01:46But now we're going to be able
00:01:46to work together
00:01:47with the Republican Party
00:01:47of Ohio with a one team
00:01:51mentality focused on
00:01:51winning in November of 2026.
00:01:55I hope not just winning
00:01:55by a small margin,
00:01:57but winning
00:01:57by such a decisive margin
00:02:00that we have the unity
00:02:01not only Toledo, Ohio,
00:02:01to the next level,
00:02:03but a governing mandate
00:02:03to move quickly with an agenda
00:02:07that's focused on, again,
00:02:08not left versus right,
00:02:08but up instead of down.
00:02:12Ramaswamy said.
00:02:13With the endorsement
00:02:13behind him,
00:02:15he plans to drop a significant
00:02:16out of the box policy
00:02:16announcement in the near term.
00:02:20Yost,
00:02:20who got into the race before
00:02:22Ramaswamy
00:02:22but missed the meeting
00:02:24to attend the funeral
00:02:24of a retired Hamilton
00:02:26County sheriff's deputy killed
00:02:26while on a traffic detail,
00:02:29got three votes
00:02:29to Rama Swami's 60.
00:02:32Lieutenant Governor Jim
00:02:32Tressel said the night
00:02:34before the meeting
00:02:35that he has not ruled out
00:02:35running for governor.
00:02:38And there were reports
00:02:38governor Mike
00:02:39DeWine wanted the party
00:02:39to hold off on an endorsement.
00:02:42For now,
00:02:44the secrecy of the discussion
00:02:44and the vote raised
00:02:46some concerns
00:02:46among reporters at the event.
00:02:48But chairman Alex
00:02:48Trout of Phillips
00:02:50said the party has the right
00:02:50to conduct business this way.
00:02:53this is a party decision.
00:02:55And if to the extent
00:02:56that we're having a discussion
00:02:57pros and cons
00:02:57about our candidates,
00:03:00the public can make their
00:03:00judgment at the ballot box.
00:03:02We're a political organization
00:03:04designed to win elections
00:03:04for Republicans.
00:03:06So, you know, the voters
00:03:06can make their choice.
00:03:08But we absolutely
00:03:08should not be giving advantage
00:03:11to Democrats
00:03:11by having our family disputes,
00:03:13in the public.
00:03:15in a statement after the vote,
00:03:15Yost said he will consult
00:03:18with his allies
00:03:18about what comes next,
00:03:20but added, quote,
00:03:21the people of Ohio
00:03:21deserve a choice,
00:03:23not a premature coronation
00:03:23of an untested candidate.
00:03:27And, quote, the committee
00:03:27also voted to endorse U.S.
00:03:30Senator John Houston,
00:03:31who so far has no opponent
00:03:31as he will run
00:03:34for his first election
00:03:34to his Senate seat next year.
00:03:37The Ohio Democratic Party
00:03:37has a big meeting coming up
00:03:40next month,
00:03:40where they will select
00:03:41a new chair to replace Liz
00:03:41Walters, who resigned May 6th.
00:03:45No. Endorsed
00:03:45events are planned,
00:03:47but there's only one
00:03:48Democratic candidate
00:03:48for governor so far.
00:03:50Former Ohio
00:03:50Department of Health
00:03:52director Doctor Amy Acton.
00:03:54But there may be another
00:03:54in that race by this summer.
00:03:57I talked this week
00:03:57with former Congressman Tim
00:03:58Ryan, who last ran against now
00:04:00Vice President
00:04:00JD Vance for U.S.
00:04:02Senate in 2022.
00:04:04you. So,
00:04:04are you running for governor?
00:04:06The question everybody
00:04:06wants to I don't know
00:04:09yet. Definitely
00:04:09thinking about it.
00:04:10And I'm worried
00:04:10about the state.
00:04:11Worried about the country.
00:04:13You know,
00:04:15I used to live
00:04:15in the Mahoning Valley
00:04:17for a long time
00:04:17and moved down here, and I.
00:04:19It's become apparent in
00:04:19the last couple years to me,
00:04:22there's there's two Ohios,
00:04:22you know, there's there's a
00:04:26the boom in central Ohio,
00:04:26which is phenomenal.
00:04:29To a lesser
00:04:29extent in Cincinnati.
00:04:31But the rest of the state
00:04:33in many ways
00:04:33is getting left behind.
00:04:34And I think, you know,
00:04:35we've got to have initiatives
00:04:35that are pushing
00:04:38and Youngstown and Warren
00:04:38and Steubenville and Toledo
00:04:42and Lima like these areas
00:04:42that,
00:04:44you know,
00:04:44have been largely forgotten.
00:04:46And it's it's high time
00:04:47that we really focus on them
00:04:47and get them up and running.
00:04:51You know,
00:04:51every one of these towns
00:04:52has a beautiful courthouse,
00:04:52beautiful downtown.
00:04:55You know, the the bones of it.
00:04:56And a river
00:04:56like the river needs cleaned.
00:04:59The the, opera house
00:04:59or the theater needs redone.
00:05:05We got to stimulate activity
00:05:05into the downtown
00:05:07and housing and
00:05:08and and get
00:05:09some quality of life
00:05:09going in these communities.
00:05:11Again for people
00:05:12you have likely seen who
00:05:12if you do run,
00:05:15who your competition would be
00:05:15in terms of a Baker,
00:05:17Ramaswamy,
00:05:17who's gotten the endorsement
00:05:18of the Ohio
00:05:18Republican Party and
00:05:20endorsements around the state.
00:05:21He's been doing all sorts
00:05:21of Lincoln Day dinners
00:05:24and that sort of thing.
00:05:25How would you beat the Baker
00:05:25Ramaswamy,
00:05:28who wants zero income
00:05:28tax and lower property taxes?
00:05:31This message
00:05:31that he's sending,
00:05:32how do you
00:05:32how do you combat that?
00:05:34Well,
00:05:35I mean,
00:05:35there would be a lot of ways
00:05:36and I haven't given
00:05:36a ton of thought yet.
00:05:38I mean, that's that's,
00:05:38months and months ahead.
00:05:41But I think the
00:05:41the reality is, you know,
00:05:44we need to get
00:05:44the Democratic Party
00:05:46back on an economic message
00:05:46and modernization message.
00:05:50Clearly,
00:05:50he's going to have to deal
00:05:52with all the negative effects
00:05:53of Dodge and cutting veterans
00:05:53jobs.
00:05:56And, you know, the farm,
00:05:58you know, the issues
00:05:58that farmers are facing.
00:06:00And so he he'll he'll take
00:06:00on all of the negatives,
00:06:03I think of from the Trump
00:06:03policies that he supported.
00:06:06And so that'll
00:06:08be a reframing, I think of the
00:06:08the argument here.
00:06:10But again, if Democrats
00:06:12if we don't have a complete
00:06:12rebrand and a refocus on
00:06:16economic messages,
00:06:16whether you're white or black
00:06:18or brown or gay
00:06:18or straight or a man or woman
00:06:20or you're in manufacturing
00:06:20or retail,
00:06:22then we're not gonna be able
00:06:22to win.
00:06:24Like you have to have
00:06:26the thrust of your message
00:06:26has to be economics
00:06:29and moving people forward.
00:06:31I was
00:06:31I've heard you say
00:06:31and read what you've said
00:06:34about retooling
00:06:34and rebranding,
00:06:35and it's been,
00:06:36I think, universally
00:06:36acknowledged
00:06:37that the messaging
00:06:38for Democrats
00:06:38has been challenging at best.
00:06:42And you certainly have
00:06:42the message of there's data
00:06:45that shows that,
00:06:46the country has performed
00:06:46better
00:06:48under Democratic leadership
00:06:48than Republican leadership.
00:06:50And yet Republicans
00:06:50are still credited with
00:06:52being the experts
00:06:52on the economy,
00:06:54the caretakers that people
00:06:54want for the economy.
00:06:56How do you retool that message
00:06:56and how do you
00:07:00broaden it to the point
00:07:00where it's inclusive?
00:07:03But there are some people
00:07:03who are going
00:07:05to have some problems
00:07:05with some of that.
00:07:07Yeah, I think, you know,
00:07:07part of it is like,
00:07:09we have to get back to
00:07:11what I think is more of
00:07:11like a Bill Clinton style,
00:07:14you know, kind of minus
00:07:14the NAFTA piece of that.
00:07:16But just you've got to work
00:07:16with business.
00:07:19There's
00:07:19you can't hate business.
00:07:21And I think sometimes
00:07:21Democrats
00:07:22get mad at the Republicans.
00:07:24And it makes it seem
00:07:24like we hate all business.
00:07:26But someone's
00:07:26got to create the jobs.
00:07:27Someone you can
00:07:28be both pro-business
00:07:28and pro-union, as I am.
00:07:31And and so you've got
00:07:31to get back to that spot
00:07:34where, like,
00:07:35how do we dominate
00:07:35artificial intelligence?
00:07:38How do we bring these re
00:07:38industrialized jobs here, chip
00:07:41manufacturing,
00:07:41high end batteries
00:07:43and all that stuff where Biden
00:07:43did some of that stuff,
00:07:46but he was never able
00:07:46to, like, articulate it.
00:07:49And really get that
00:07:49message out.
00:07:50We've really re industrialized
00:07:50the country
00:07:52or are re industrializing
00:07:52the country.
00:07:55And but Democrats
00:07:55got zero credit for that.
00:07:57And and so getting back
00:07:57to that message
00:07:59quality of life
00:07:59education skills
00:08:02I think one of the big issues
00:08:02really will be
00:08:06the voucher piece of
00:08:06just like universal
00:08:10dismantling
00:08:10of public education in Ohio.
00:08:14And how do those rural
00:08:14communities react to, like
00:08:18they're not going to set up
00:08:18a Saint Ignatius or,
00:08:21you know,
00:08:21Mooney or Ursuline or John F
00:08:24Kennedy High School,
00:08:24Catholic high school
00:08:25in their communities.
00:08:27And so they're going to
00:08:28they're going
00:08:28to lose a lot of funding.
00:08:29How are they going
00:08:29to respond to that?
00:08:31And what's the Democratic plan
00:08:32to try
00:08:32and not just fight that?
00:08:33I think sometimes
00:08:34we get really stuck
00:08:34on fighting what we're against
00:08:37and being really clear
00:08:37for what we're against.
00:08:40We got to start being
00:08:40the party of what we're for.
00:08:42What does the future look like
00:08:42under a Democratic
00:08:45gubernatorial administration
00:08:45or president or Congress
00:08:49or whatever?
00:08:49There's no real vision.
00:08:52And to me, that would be a fun
00:08:52part of you know,
00:08:54I have a few ideas on what
00:08:54that would look like.
00:08:57You have talked
00:08:57about rural voters before,
00:08:58and in fact, in 2022,
00:08:58when you ran against JD Vance,
00:09:01you really had a, strategy
00:09:01of going after rural voters
00:09:04and trying to speak
00:09:04to rural voters.
00:09:06Because when you look
00:09:06at the map of Ohio, Democrats
00:09:09used to have a lot of support
00:09:09among rural voters.
00:09:12What did you learn from
00:09:12that campaign
00:09:14that would allow you
00:09:14to potentially do
00:09:16better than you did
00:09:16against Vance in 2022?
00:09:18Well, starts by showing up
00:09:18and having a plan.
00:09:21And again,
00:09:22there's a lot of issues
00:09:22in our cities, too,
00:09:25and our urban areas.
00:09:26Again,
00:09:26I think Democrats have largely
00:09:27taken the black vote
00:09:27for granted for a long time.
00:09:31And we've not come up
00:09:31with creative, ideas.
00:09:35We've not used our imagination
00:09:35on how
00:09:36we solve some of these old
00:09:36problems, both in the city,
00:09:39but in the rural areas
00:09:39as well.
00:09:41In the rural areas,
00:09:41we don't even show up.
00:09:43I mean, I think I did
00:09:43four points better
00:09:44than Hillary or two points
00:09:44better than Biden.
00:09:46I can't remember the numbers,
00:09:46but we did
00:09:48significantly better
00:09:48than the Democrat
00:09:49has in Ohio
00:09:49and, in the near term.
00:09:54And that's
00:09:54because we went there.
00:09:55I mean, I was in
00:09:55Lima four times.
00:09:57I was in Portsmouth
00:09:573 or 4 times.
00:09:59I mean,
00:09:59I went to all these
00:09:59small little towns
00:10:01and basically said, we,
00:10:02you know, we're going
00:10:02to be here for you.
00:10:03You feel it paid off for you
00:10:03that I mean, I think so.
00:10:06I mean, we got 400,000,
00:10:06voters
00:10:09who voted for Mike DeWine
00:10:09and Tim Ryan.
00:10:12Significant
00:10:12crossover in a time
00:10:13when you don't
00:10:13get a lot of crossover.
00:10:15And I think it's
00:10:15because they showed up
00:10:16and they know I care.
00:10:17And I'm from Niles, like I'm
00:10:17from the Mahoning Valley.
00:10:19Like, they know that.
00:10:21I know what
00:10:21it's like to be forgotten.
00:10:23But I think if you run
00:10:24for a statewide office
00:10:24like governor,
00:10:26you have more concrete
00:10:26policy proposals
00:10:29that you could actually
00:10:29bring to those communities.
00:10:31And again,
00:10:31how do we build the downtowns?
00:10:34How do we clean the river?
00:10:35How do we get the schools
00:10:35going in those areas?
00:10:37I mean, they've just been
00:10:37devastated with the, the,
00:10:40the opiate problem
00:10:41and then the fentanyl problem
00:10:41and the industrial ization,
00:10:44like our communities
00:10:44have been through a lot.
00:10:46And it's time
00:10:46for us to acknowledge that
00:10:47and then pull everybody
00:10:47together for a plan forward.
00:10:49It doesn't matter
00:10:49if it's a Republican
00:10:51or Democratic plan A who cares
00:10:51doesn't really matter.
00:10:53Solve the problem.
00:10:54I know
00:10:55you said you're still deciding
00:10:55that you,
00:10:57I've read
00:10:57that you will likely
00:10:57decide the summer, but
00:11:00do you have any concrete plans
00:11:00that you want to share?
00:11:02Something that would be
00:11:02a keystone of the campaign?
00:11:05No, I'm still working on
00:11:05no, I don't I mean, you know,
00:11:09we just started thinking
00:11:09about this,
00:11:11you know,
00:11:11just watching things unfold
00:11:14and things not getting better
00:11:14and, you know,
00:11:17kind of watching the,
00:11:19just the instability
00:11:19that's happening here.
00:11:23And I think it could get
00:11:23a lot worse.
00:11:24I mean, you know, I know
00:11:25people can be very critical of
00:11:25of governor DeWine.
00:11:28But he's tempered
00:11:28a very extreme legislature.
00:11:33And so if you remove
00:11:33Mike DeWine
00:11:35and you put in the Ramaswamy,
00:11:35it's a whole new ball game of
00:11:39of how I think radicalized
00:11:39the state would become.
00:11:43And I just don't think
00:11:43that's Ohio.
00:11:45I just Ohio's always been
00:11:47I mean, when I got the
00:11:47Congress I was serving with
00:11:50obviously
00:11:51Boehner, and Mike Oxley
00:11:55and these guys
00:11:55were conservative guys,
00:11:57you know, but
00:11:57they were pretty normal guys.
00:12:00You know, they were kind of
00:12:00they weren't
00:12:02they were economically
00:12:02conservative.
00:12:04And on the social issues,
00:12:04they were conservative,
00:12:07but they weren't
00:12:08they weren't radicalized
00:12:08and they were good people.
00:12:11And I got along with them
00:12:12and I played basketball
00:12:12with them,
00:12:13and they were just
00:12:13great people.
00:12:15Mike actually
00:12:15never pass the ball
00:12:16just for, for just to keep
00:12:16the record straight here.
00:12:19But we've got to get back to
00:12:22some down the road down
00:12:22the middle, Midwestern
00:12:26kind of problem solving there
00:12:26is, opening at leadership
00:12:30at the Ohio Democratic Party.
00:12:31Now, do you think do you have
00:12:31a, a candidate in that race
00:12:35that you'd like to see
00:12:35move forward?
00:12:36I know both, like I'm both,
00:12:38I've known
00:12:38Billy for a long time.
00:12:40The list tomorrow.
00:12:41Tomorrow's pretty aggressive.
00:12:43I kind of think we need to be
00:12:43more in a fight or lane here
00:12:46of, like, really letting
00:12:46people know we're going to.
00:12:49We're going to advocate
00:12:49and fight for them.
00:12:51But the executive committee
00:12:51has to decide like it.
00:12:55And Sherrod Brown has
00:12:55been backing Kathleen Clyde.
00:12:57Yeah. I put you at odds
00:12:57with Sherrod Brown.
00:12:59I mean,
00:12:59I just
00:13:00I'm not I'm
00:13:00trying to stay out of it
00:13:02because I don't think
00:13:02it's our place.
00:13:04Like,
00:13:04I don't think people want like
00:13:06Tim Ryan or whoever,
00:13:06like weighing in on this.
00:13:10Because those people
00:13:10have been on the front lines.
00:13:13They've watched the demise
00:13:13of the Democratic Party.
00:13:16They hear it every day
00:13:16at the coffee shop, barber
00:13:19beauty salon on
00:13:19what we're doing wrong.
00:13:21They should be
00:13:21the ones who say, okay,
00:13:23of these candidates, here's,
00:13:23here's who's going to help us
00:13:26move out of this spot
00:13:26that we're stuck in.
00:13:29And finally,
00:13:29you're a Browns fan.
00:13:32I need to ask you about the,
00:13:32the proposal.
00:13:34In the House budget
00:13:36that would move the stadium
00:13:37to Brook Park and give $600
00:13:37million in state backed bonds.
00:13:40The Browns say
00:13:40that development
00:13:42is going to raise $1.3
00:13:42billion,
00:13:44more than the billion dollars
00:13:45the state needs to pay back
00:13:45those bonds.
00:13:46What are your thoughts?
00:13:47I think it's outrageous,
00:13:47I really do.
00:13:49I've been a Browns fan
00:13:49my whole life.
00:13:50I've got post-traumatic stress
00:13:50to prove it.
00:13:53All Browns, they're at their
00:13:53therapy sessions.
00:13:56I just think it's outrageous.
00:13:57You're going to give
00:13:57a billionaire money
00:13:59to move the stadium
00:13:59off the lake, out of the city,
00:14:04into Brook Park,
00:14:04and and that someone to me
00:14:08who doesn't understand
00:14:08the culture of Cleveland,
00:14:11Northeast Ohio
00:14:11or Cleveland Browns fans,
00:14:13that stadium
00:14:13needs to be on the lake.
00:14:15You want to build it
00:14:15there? Fine.
00:14:16You want the state
00:14:16and the locals to help you.
00:14:18Okay, maybe it needs to be
00:14:18in the city of Cleveland
00:14:20like that.
00:14:21That town does not deserve
00:14:21to lose that stadium.
00:14:24And it's
00:14:24I think it's outrageous,
00:14:26that that you would ask
00:14:26for $600 million,
00:14:30to, to make this of taxpayer
00:14:32money, bonds
00:14:32or whatever to do it
00:14:34when that money
00:14:34could be in our schools,
00:14:36that money could be rebuilding
00:14:36those theaters
00:14:38and those small towns
00:14:38that we talked about,
00:14:40or opera houses or whatever,
00:14:40like this.
00:14:42There's just
00:14:42another opportunity there.
00:14:45And I think it's a shame,
00:14:45because
00:14:47even if you want to build
00:14:47a dome on the lake, fine.
00:14:50Keep it open
00:14:50during the football games.
00:14:52Right?
00:14:52I'll concede you that
00:14:53because I get the idea
00:14:53of what you want to do,
00:14:55but you don't move it
00:14:55out of the city
00:14:56of Cleveland off the lake.
00:14:57That's like when we went up
00:14:57to the Browns Steelers game.
00:15:00I took, our son Brady
00:15:00and our daughter Bella.
00:15:04That was unfortunately
00:15:04a Steelers fan, but it snowed.
00:15:07Remember that? Remember that?
00:15:08It was it was it was amazing.
00:15:08It was like,
00:15:10this is quintessential
00:15:10Cleveland football.
00:15:14And me and Brady
00:15:14are throwing a football
00:15:16after the game in the snow.
00:15:16And he's dive.
00:15:18And mom wasn't there.
00:15:18So he's diving in the snow.
00:15:20But that's Cleveland.
00:15:23Why would you put a dome.
00:15:24Why would you move it
00:15:24out of the city.
00:15:25Why would you move it
00:15:25off the lake?
00:15:26I think it's
00:15:26just absolutely outrageous.
00:15:28The Haslam say
00:15:28they're moving it
00:15:30because of the business
00:15:30opportunities in Brook Park,
00:15:32that it would create
00:15:33so much money for the state
00:15:33and for the region.
00:15:37Do it on the lake.
00:15:37Do it in Cleveland.
00:15:38I know May I've talked
00:15:38to Mayor Bib about it.
00:15:40He'll work with you.
00:15:42The county executive.
00:15:42Really?
00:15:45He'll work with you.
00:15:45Don't work with you.
00:15:45Put it on the lake.
00:15:47Do you think
00:15:47you can make money?
00:15:48Like I said, we
00:15:48don't have to hate business.
00:15:49People make money.
00:15:51But don't
00:15:51people, like,
00:15:51do something like this,
00:15:53or you're pulling the stadium
00:15:54out of the city of Cleveland
00:15:54off the lake. It's crazy.
00:15:56One issue
00:15:56Ryan will likely wrestle with
00:15:58is that he's been lobbying
00:15:59for some industries
00:15:59that might pose
00:16:01ideological conflicts
00:16:01for Democrats,
00:16:03such as cryptocurrency
00:16:03and natural gas.
00:16:06Ryan said on this show
00:16:06in January that natural gas
00:16:09has displaced coal in Ohio
00:16:09and employs unionized workers,
00:16:14and that crypto has been
00:16:14helpful for small businesses,
00:16:17especially those in minority
00:16:17communities.
00:16:20Last week, Senator Bill Damore
00:16:20was on this show to talk
00:16:22about his candidacy for Ohio
00:16:22Democratic Party chair.
00:16:25As I mentioned, former U.S.
00:16:27Senator Sherrod Brown
00:16:27also talked about
00:16:29as a possible statewide
00:16:29candidate, has backed
00:16:31Kathleen Clyde.
00:16:31former state Representative
00:16:34Clyde said in a statement
00:16:34that she hopes to be chair,
00:16:36quote, to build a stronger,
00:16:38more inclusive
00:16:38and more energized movement
00:16:41that will put us in position
00:16:41to win in 2026 and beyond.
00:16:44As a state representative,
00:16:44county
00:16:46commissioner
00:16:46and voting rights advocate.
00:16:48I've spent my career
00:16:48championing
00:16:49working class families,
00:16:49and as a proven fundraiser,
00:16:52I pledge to do the work
00:16:52necessary
00:16:54to help candidates
00:16:54all across the state.
00:16:56I'm ready to lead
00:16:56with integrity,
00:16:58strategy,
00:16:58and a deep commitment
00:17:00to the values
00:17:00that define our party.
00:17:01And quote.
00:17:03We're hoping to talk with her
00:17:03on an upcoming show.
00:17:06Lawmakers are considering
00:17:06the largest expansion
00:17:08of gambling in Ohio
00:17:08in many years,
00:17:10going from just sports
00:17:10betting to also include
00:17:13playing poker or casino games
00:17:13for money online,
00:17:16as well as playing
00:17:16lottery games
00:17:17and betting on horse
00:17:17races on phones or laptops.
00:17:21The sponsor of a Senate bill
00:17:21introduced
00:17:23this week and a House bill
00:17:23that's still in the works.
00:17:26The goal is more revenue
00:17:26for the state.
00:17:29online gambling
00:17:29is already here in Ohio. It's
00:17:32not legalized,
00:17:33but it is a, estimated
00:17:36hundreds of millions
00:17:37of dollars of illegal gambling
00:17:37happening right now on this,
00:17:40on your cellphone,
00:17:40on your computers.
00:17:42So what we're really
00:17:42looking to do is just,
00:17:46you know, legalize it.
00:17:47Just like sports betting.
00:17:49The bill from Senator Nathan
00:17:49Manning would set a 36%
00:17:52tax rate on operators
00:17:52and $50 million in licensing
00:17:55fees, with the money going
00:17:55into a gambling revenue fund.
00:17:59The bill does not specify
00:18:00what the money would be
00:18:01used for, but that could
00:18:01come up in the budget process.
00:18:05what we're hoping to do
00:18:05is to have him
00:18:07throw an idea
00:18:07and a concept out there,
00:18:09see where we might end up
00:18:09and then have a conversation
00:18:13about what
00:18:13we want to do with it
00:18:13after that,
00:18:15with the Senate budget based
00:18:15off that revenue coming in.
00:18:18Well, we would have to if
00:18:19we were to pass
00:18:19something like that.
00:18:21My understanding is
00:18:23I've I've not received
00:18:23a firm estimate.
00:18:25I think a lot of that
00:18:26it depends on the details
00:18:26and how we structure whatnot.
00:18:29But in other states
00:18:29that have done this, it's
00:18:31hundreds of thousands
00:18:31of dollars of revenue
00:18:33that comes in.
00:18:34Senate Minority Leader
00:18:34Nikki Antonio
00:18:37has said
00:18:37at least some of that revenue
00:18:38needs to go
00:18:38to mental health programs,
00:18:40because more gambling
00:18:40opportunities
00:18:42will likely mean more people
00:18:42addicted to gambling.
00:18:45I, I,
00:18:47did note that the president
00:18:47said, you know, we'd like
00:18:50to see the budget address
00:18:50this.
00:18:52Sure.
00:18:53Because all we keep hearing,
00:18:53the framing of this budget
00:18:57is that it's a tight budget.
00:18:59It's been framed that way
00:18:59by the majority party.
00:19:03I think the only reason is
00:19:04the budget
00:19:04is because they decided
00:19:06it was a tight budget
00:19:06on certain issues.
00:19:09And so obviously issues
00:19:09for funding the schools
00:19:13and child care at all
00:19:13those things that we want,
00:19:18that we would like
00:19:18to see that
00:19:20I think the people everyday
00:19:20Ohioans want to see,
00:19:24certainly we could benefit
00:19:24from paying for them
00:19:27if there were suddenly
00:19:28some additional funds
00:19:28as a place to start.
00:19:31House Speaker
00:19:31Matt Huffman said last week
00:19:33he thinks the state
00:19:33has turned a corner
00:19:35when it comes to gambling
00:19:35as a potential revenue stream.
00:19:39But this week, Huffman raised
00:19:40more concern
00:19:40about gambling addiction
00:19:42as he suggested a possible
00:19:42future for the new revenue.
00:19:46now how the money is
00:19:46going to be spent.
00:19:48You know,
00:19:50I don't think necessarily
00:19:50we need to designate that part
00:19:53of there's one philosophy
00:19:53that says you can
00:19:57raise money other than by
00:20:00ordinary taxes.
00:20:01Of course, we have fees
00:20:01and things like that
00:20:03that pay
00:20:03for specific programs.
00:20:05But the gambling,
00:20:05at the moment,
00:20:08I think it ought to go
00:20:08into the General Revenue Fund.
00:20:11Maybe we can do that
00:20:11to reduce, income tax or some
00:20:14other tax in the future.
00:20:16But I at the moment,
00:20:16that's where I think
00:20:19it's still
00:20:19I see some other proposal.
00:20:21That's where I think
00:20:22Conservative groups,
00:20:22including the center
00:20:24for Christian Virtue
00:20:24have come out
00:20:26and strong opposition
00:20:26to expanding gambling
00:20:28through AI, gaming
00:20:28and AI lottery.
00:20:31The Moyer Judicial Center,
00:20:31which houses Ohio's
00:20:34Supreme Court,
00:20:34is one of the most beautiful
00:20:36and historic buildings
00:20:36in the state.
00:20:38It's named for former Chief
00:20:38Justice Thomas Moyer,
00:20:40who championed its renovation
00:20:41before he died in office
00:20:41in 2010.
00:20:44A few months later, Justice
00:20:44Maureen O'Connor was elected
00:20:47chief Justice,
00:20:48having previously served
00:20:48as a Summit County
00:20:50judge and county prosecutor
00:20:50and lieutenant governor.
00:20:53O'Connor retired in 2022
00:20:53as the longest serving
00:20:56statewide
00:20:56elected woman in Ohio history,
00:20:59but visitors to the court
00:20:59may not immediately
00:21:01see her portrait,
00:21:01as it's now in the basement.
00:21:04That's frustrated the League
00:21:04of Women Voters of Ohio.
00:21:07At the end of the day.
00:21:09Only 6% of public art,
00:21:09represents real, live women
00:21:14on our Ohio
00:21:14State House grounds.
00:21:15There's none right now
00:21:15other than an angelic figure.
00:21:18So not a real live woman.
00:21:19There are none in that
00:21:19grand concourse,
00:21:21which is the main hallway
00:21:23where most visitors
00:21:23go at the Ohio Supreme Court.
00:21:26There's 20 portraits,
00:21:26no women.
00:21:28And so for us,
00:21:28this is about making sure
00:21:31that women are represented.
00:21:33We want to preserve the memory
00:21:33of women changemakers.
00:21:36One of the things we know
00:21:36is that in young girls,
00:21:39they start to have
00:21:39a confidence gap.
00:21:41And we think that confidence
00:21:42gap really ends up
00:21:42fueling, in part,
00:21:45a leadership
00:21:45gap in elected office
00:21:47and in courtrooms and private
00:21:47sector leadership roles.
00:21:51And so it's incredibly
00:21:51important
00:21:53that boys and girls see women
00:21:53leaders in public art,
00:21:58because if you can't see it,
00:21:58it's hard to imagine being it.
00:22:02The Supreme Court has said
00:22:02that there's
00:22:03going to be
00:22:03a women in law exhibit.
00:22:06This will be a part of.
00:22:07And when you do go into
00:22:07the Supreme Court basement,
00:22:09there's a whole visitor center
00:22:09there, and it's
00:22:11well laid out.
00:22:12But this particular area
00:22:12where the Chief Justice's
00:22:15portrait is, is,
00:22:15is undeveloped, so to speak.
00:22:18Isn't
00:22:18that the best place for it,
00:22:20or would you rather see
00:22:20something else done?
00:22:22So I think we need both.
00:22:23Again,
00:22:23we have leadership gaps.
00:22:25We have lots of women
00:22:25who go to law school,
00:22:29but many who may not think
00:22:29that they can be a lawyer
00:22:33or can be a judge.
00:22:34And so our suggestion is to
00:22:34put her original portrait back
00:22:38where it was
00:22:39in that grand concourse where
00:22:39more members of the public
00:22:42will see it, but also to have
00:22:42a Women in Law exhibit.
00:22:45We need both.
00:22:47Are you concerned at all
00:22:47with the emphasis on
00:22:50deprogramming
00:22:50that something like this
00:22:53might not go forward
00:22:53because of questions
00:22:56about whether it's appropriate
00:22:56or not?
00:22:59Well, look,
00:22:59I commend
00:23:00the justices of the court
00:23:00for committing to honor
00:23:04women in law and having that
00:23:04educational exhibit.
00:23:07I think we need to, again,
00:23:07though, go further.
00:23:09A lot of folks only
00:23:09go in that main concourse.
00:23:12And the chief justice
00:23:12was actually right
00:23:15under our relief of Harding,
00:23:16which we thought
00:23:16was really cool,
00:23:18because that
00:23:18is the first
00:23:18presidential election
00:23:20where women had suffrage
00:23:20across the country to vote.
00:23:23So obviously Harding was from
00:23:23Ohio and very cool to then
00:23:27see, the first chief
00:23:27justice of the Supreme Court
00:23:31who's a woman.
00:23:32This is not the first time
00:23:32that a portrait has
00:23:34been moved.
00:23:36We had, speaker
00:23:36Joanne Davidson's portrait
00:23:38was moved by then House
00:23:38Speaker Larry Householder.
00:23:42Both of these situations
00:23:42suggested
00:23:45there was political
00:23:45reasoning behind those moves.
00:23:49So how do you
00:23:49how do you see that?
00:23:52Right.
00:23:52So I think it was
00:23:52unceremonious to
00:23:54to move the Chief Justice's
00:23:54portrait to the bottom floor
00:23:58before the exhibit was open.
00:24:00And again,
00:24:01they can put
00:24:01a replica of that,
00:24:03but have this in the main
00:24:03hallway.
00:24:04Similarly, you're right,
00:24:04there was a long tiff
00:24:07between householder and,
00:24:07Joanne Davidson,
00:24:10who was the first elected
00:24:10woman for the Ohio House.
00:24:13They he took down her artwork
00:24:13from the Ohio Chamber.
00:24:18And then when Speaker Cup
00:24:20came in in 2020,
00:24:20he put it back up.
00:24:22There is a ladies gallery
00:24:22here in the state House
00:24:25that there is a room
00:24:25that has been set aside
00:24:27to honor women who served
00:24:27in state government.
00:24:30But I think
00:24:31you were saying here
00:24:31that there are other things
00:24:33that can be done
00:24:33that you'd like to see,
00:24:33other things
00:24:34that can be done
00:24:35for the 51% of the population,
00:24:35who is female?
00:24:38That's right.
00:24:39And we also are bringing
00:24:40in an author in a couple weeks
00:24:40on May 17th in Aurora.
00:24:44We have our gala,
00:24:44and her name is Allison Tiara.
00:24:47She's from Indiana, actually,
00:24:47but now, lives in Australia.
00:24:50She's releasing a book in a
00:24:50couple days called uncredited.
00:24:54And it looks at 600
00:24:54women across the globe
00:24:57in every field,
00:24:59who have basically gone
00:24:59unnoticed, though
00:25:03we're changemakers
00:25:03in their own right.
00:25:04the Ohio Supreme Court
00:25:04says the women in the law
00:25:06exhibit will eventually honor
00:25:06several pioneering
00:25:09women who shaped Ohio's
00:25:09justice system,
00:25:11and O'Connor's portrait
00:25:11can now be seen by over
00:25:1311,000 people who check out
00:25:15the visitor center
00:25:15in the basement each year.
00:25:18And that's it for this week
00:25:18for my colleagues
00:25:20at the Statehouse News
00:25:20Bureau of Ohio Public Media.
00:25:22Thanks for watching.
00:25:23Please check out our website
00:25:23at State news.org
00:25:25or find us online by searching
00:25:25the State of Ohio Show.
00:25:28We'll keep you up to date
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00:25:37You can also hear more
00:25:37from my colleagues
00:25:39Joe Ingles and Sarah Donaldson
00:25:39and me on our podcast,
00:25:42The Ohio State House scoop
00:25:42every Monday morning,
00:25:45and please join us again next
00:25:45time for the State of Ohio.
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Note : Transcripts are compiled from uncorrected captions